Montaigne was a 16th century French philosopher and essayist who wrote short, single-page essay and far longer ones.  Today's quote comes from one such essay and sets the tone, right from the start, that WE control how we respond to the inevitable hardships and torments of life.  We can, with effort, choose not to be victims of circumstance and allow them to perpetually harm us, but instead repurpose them for good, both for ourselves and for others.